Now, his former BBC Radio 2 producer, Malcolm Prince, has released additional pages of the new paperback version of his book, Paul O'Grady - Not The Same Without You, the Mirror reports. In his new chapter, he has shared some forgotten voicemails from the Lily Savage star just days before his death.
The producer revealed that one of their favourite things to talk about was music, with the national treasure even making Elvis Presley's hit song Trouble his mobile ringtone. He also opened up about his friendship with the late Cilla Black, which he rediscovered in the voicemails when changing phone service providers.
He wrote: "This frustrating experience [switching handsets] made me think of Paul, who was not tech savvy. But there was one good thing to come out of my struggles. I came across old, forgotten voice messages from Savage [Paul's drag character, Lily Savage]. I have no saved them somewhere safe, because they are a joy.
"Paul would regularly phone me for a catch-up," he chuckled. Despite quitting his BBC Radio 2 show after 14 years on the airwaves in August 2022, he moved to a part-time Sunday afternoon slot with Rob Beckett, where they would work on a "13 weeks on, 13 weeks off" basis.
The presenter certainly didn't keep his complaints to himself, with the producer revealing he often criticised BBC executives whilst working on the show. Recalling Paul's last ever voicemail, Malcom recalled: "His very last message to me was a succinct 17 seconds long, and it goes something like this:
"'Hiya, Malcom. You never answer your bloody phone, do you! Honestly, what are you doing? Right. Ring me back. I've got something to tell you. I'm in Kent, I've got to feed the animals in a bit, but call me. I'll speak to you later, ter-ra'. I never did find out what that news was, but as well as a juicy bit of goss, I bet there was a piece of music involved."
The singer fell and hit her head at the lavish lodging at the age of 72 back in August 2015. At her funeral, Paul delivered an emotional tribute, famously sharing their wild antics in New York.
Malcolm, who first met Paul in 1991 after asking him to contribute to a radio show to mark Cilla's 40th anniversary in showbiz, concluded the touching segment: "No Paul playlist would be complete without a song from Miss Cilla Black."
